A new £2.6m football facility has been officially unveiled in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, by the former Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and England goalkeeper, Ray Clemence.

It is hoped the project, which included the construction of a new pavilion with eight changing rooms, will result in 1,340 more players participating in football on a weekly basis.

A floodlit 3G pitch and eight grass pitches have also been installed, with the new Creasey Park development funded with the help of a £599,500 grant from the Football Foundation.

Clemence said: "Having places like this available to youngsters and adults will help raise the standard of our national game and also help to improve the nation's health."

Meanwhile, HRH the Earl of Wessex has unveiled a new sports pavilion in Chigwell, Essex, which has seen land adjacent to the former Grange Farm Camp Site transformed.

The £2.25m project received more than £400,000 from the Football Foundation, with a senior pitch or two junior pitches provided on the top field and two junior pitches on the lower field.

A new £800,000 purpose-built facility has also opened in Hexham, which offers two new turf pitches; a practice pitch; floodlighting; and a changing pavilion designed for junior football.

Nearly £464,000 was contributed by the Football Foundation, while support also came from Northumberland County Council in partnership with Hexham Football Club among others.